Honda Civic Hatchbacks (1990-2000)

plush1 · August 2000

I was at the MAGX website the other day and came
across the new Civic Hatchback, which kinda looks
like a really small minivan. I can't say much for
the sedan though. That thing just looks hideous
from the rear end. They have a three door
hatchback available but what's on the website is
the five door version. Check out this link:
http://www.magx.ne.jp/scoop/civic0007/index.html

raychuang00 · August 2000

I think there is a possibility that we may see a slight stretched version of the 2001 Civic Hatchback to show up in about a year's time as a small MPV. Think of it as the 2002 Civic MPV.

By the way, I've seen pictures of the undisguised Civic sedan and coupe and they are -very- conservatively styled--they remind me of a reduced size Accord, of all things. But then, Honda car owners are not the type of people interested in adventrous styling, just solidly-built, reliable cars.

sentra20ser · August 2000

If I want an undisguised car I'll buy a Toyota. Honda you better start making better looking cars or you will join Nissan as a has been.

lngtonge18 · August 2000

It totally sucks that Honda is discontinuing the Civic 3 door hatchback for the US! After more than 25 years of Civic hatches, I think it is stupid to discontinue them when the hatchback is enjoying a slight resurgence in popularity with the new Focus and Golf selling better than expected and gas prices as high as they are. The reason Honda doesn't sell many hatchbacks is because they don't give them enough equipment, forcing the hatchback to be nothing more than barebones transportation, exactly why Americans hate hatchbacks. You can't even get a tachometer or any power accesories on the current hatch for God's sake! And what happened to the sporty Si hatch?! Anyway, I think Honda is making a mistake abandoning the wonderful hatchback market and I am very disappointed. Also, the new Civic sedan looks way too bland and the rear is funky looking, though the new coupe isn't too bad looking, resembling very closely the 94-96 Accord coupe.

kdominczak · August 2000

Now we all know where your Civic love comes from.
"I'm moving to VW! maybe even Ford, god forbid!"

I'm a hockey fan, even when Rangers loose and suck for three years in a row, I still can't admit it out loud and say "Rangers suck, man".
You can't be loyal to the Car manufacturer in the same way as sport fan is loyal to the sport team.
Why, because you can live without NHL,(What did I just say!),but you can't live without a car.
And you spend a lot of money to have the car, while being a Rangers fan doesn't cost you a lot (it causes a lot of frustration as of late, though).
The car purchase is a necessary investment.
No blind loyalty in the money issues!
Even the Communism and Capitalism , while being two extremes don't have any loyalty.
[non-permissible content removed] is where the money are!
I wish you good luck considering other cars and learning how to judge them without being blindly biased. It will make you a much better and happier buyer.
Peace...

sentra20ser · August 2000

Check out VWVORTEX.COM. Hopefully VW brings over the Lupo and we will have nice new hatchback in the US Market. The GTI has 125hp motor and weighs 2100lbs. A diesel version is supposed to get around 80mpg. I would be all over either of those.

sentra20ser · August 2000

I would love to see them in the states.

only1harry · August 2000

I saw a picture I think it was in Busyboys.com. It's the Hatchback version which looks a little like a Focus and a mini-minivan. It has 215hp! Now that's something I bet we 'll never see here

And what about the Accord Type-R? There 's also a Euro-R Accord that's only available in Europe! what's up with that? The US always gets screwed. In Canada the Civic Si has ABS! In US it does not! WTH? Just because the Civic in Canada is the #1 selling car, they get special treatment? Canada also got the Integra Type-R for 1999. There was no ITR in the US for '99! Then they keep the same design and everything for the Integra for 7 yrs! What the hek are they doing? Nothing they do makes any sense anymore!!! I bet you they 'll start losing customers. They already have. I know people with '94 & '95 Integras (some leased) that after 3-4 yrs, they were hoping for a new redesigned Integra.. They ended up buying Audis, Celicas and others. Oh well, Honda will learn the hard way. Motortrend already voted the Civic (LS) #4 out of like a dozen compacts they tested for $15K (most of them were priced right at $15K and a little over). I think the Sentra, Corolla and Protege were the top 3. Doesn't Honda look at these reviews?

sentra20ser · August 2000

What happened to the 4 years and a new model? Honda was like a clock. Ever fourth year you knew that a new model would be out. Now they have gone with boring styling. The new accord looks like a Tarus to me. VW is now building the fresh looking cars and there sales show it.

Why did Honda kill the CRX? It was one of the best cars of all time. It will go down as a compact legend like the '83-'83 GTI. I would love to see cars like that built with the current technology.

lngtonge18 · August 2000

I completely agree with sentra20ser and only1harry. As an owner of the original pocket rocket for 6 wonderful years, an 84 GTI, I would really like to see VW and Honda go back to their sporty roots with a reintroduction of the Civic Si hatchback, CRX Si, and a lighter Rabbit sized GTI (maybe the European Polo GTI). The 1.8T GTI was a step in the right direction, but it still lacks the character and playful direct handling of the Rabbit GTI. I plan on keeping my GTI as long as I can, because I think it will become a coveted classic. Everyone thinks I am crazy for wanting to hold on to my 15 year old Rabbit, but they just don't understand the intimate relationship one forms with this special car. Not to mention how reliable the car has been.
Anyway, Honda majorly messed up when they cancelled their 4 year product run. You could always count on a new car every four years from Honda. Not anymore! The Integra's life span is just plain ridiculous. My brother owns a 95 Integra GSR sedan and has been waiting for them to release the new one before deciding to trade in for something else. He has been disappointed every year when the Integra just kept soldiering on with no real changes. Now, the ultimate disappointment: after all his patient waiting, news comes that there will be no Integra sedan when the new one comes out this spring! They may have just lost his business to Audi or Lexus. Honda is going to lose a lot of loyalty unless they get their act together. This 5 year or greater product cycle is not going to work when the products offered are possibly the blandest looking cars on the road. Honda, get your act together!!!!

only1harry · August 2000

Although their sales #s keep rising, we the car enthousiasts are left unheard. I 've noticed on my 160mi. commute a day that many older people are driving Civics now(and a lot of women, 30-50!) which tells me that Honda has attracted an older crowd which might explain the lack of sportiness in the new Civics and the absense of hatchbacks or Si HBs and 2 seater CRXs. I think they have already lost a small portion of previous Honda owners to VW and Ford (Focus) but they 're making up the numbers with older people. You rarely saw anyone over 30 driving a CRX or an Si HB. But now, (and in the future), with the more conservative styling they 're looking to attract baby boomers in their 40s and even 50s! I still think the current Civic coupe is a relatively attractive and even sporty car and draws younger people, but from the pictures I 've seen the next gen. will not be attracting too many enthousiasts or younger people. It looks as though they 're making every generation Civic (and Accord) to fit the needs of the aging 80's and 90's Honda buyers! Just because we liked the smaller sportier Civics (and Golfs) 10-15yrs ago, it doesn't mean that we want a bigger heavier more conservatively styled Civic in 2001.
Ok, so I was let's say 24 yrs old 10yrs ago. Now that I 'm an average of 34 (which I am) it means I want a boring looking car that drives like a family sedan? Man, my friend's '91 Accord EX was like 3 times sportier than his current '98 Accord EX. His accord now drives almost like a Lincoln Continental and is no fun to drive at all. His old EX was just as fast and could out corner it easily. Same with the older Civics and CRX as well compared to today's Civics. They were lighter and more swift. Golf the same. How can a Golf GTI weigh 2800lbs?? What the hek is that? My wife's Mitsubishi Galant weighs that much and so does an Accord DX!
GTI was always known for being a light nimble car.
Maybe the insurance companies here in the US are forcing them to make heavier cars thinking they 'll be safer in crashes? don't know.. but I don't like the way things are progressing. Toyota has managed to keep the weight down on the Celica and produces a fine sporty pocket rocket in the GT-S flavor. Even the GT is more than adequate with 140hp at 2500lbs and a great handler. This is one of the reasons the GSR was so successful the first few years ('94-97) and why there is such a big aftermarket support. Lightweight means quick and able to handle better and gives it a great advantage when going up against more powerful and torquier but heavier cars. So far the S2000 has all the right moves. 240hp weighing only 2700lbs. But then again that's not a practical car and is too expensive for most people's pockets..

jimjet · August 2000

Gentlemen,
I believe we all see things with Honda in the same light. I used to be known at work as "Mr. Honda" because I haved owned so many - from the beginning. I'm 51, but my heart is 19. Yes, they are now catering to the aging non-enthusiasts and loosing the folks (us) that promoted them (rightly so) for the great handling, light, responsive, well appointed (tach!), reliable, stylish, slick shifting, ergonomic, great buys, race winners, they were. No wonder I'm looking at a 2001 Focus ZX3 with 16 inchers. Ford is now trying to fill our market niche. But, we are more than just a niche. For Honda, we were promoters of the product - advising the more middle-roaders to at least test drive one when in the market to buy. Hopefully, Honda HQ will return to its roots. Later...

only1harry · August 2000

that Honda engineers and executives are also like 20yrs older too but it seems they 're less of car enthousiasts than their customers of equivelant age..
The new '01 Civic DX & LX will have 115hp, a 9hp increase. Fine, great. Now the EX will have the same 127hp!! What the hek?? So this means that there has only been a 2hp increase for the EX in 10yrs (since '96 and until the next redesign in '06)!! And the '92-95 EXs were 125hp, pretty much the same as now, but weighed less back then. I 'm sure the 1.7L of the '01 Civics will provide more torque but that will be cancelled out due their increased weight. I won't be surprised if the new EX is slower than the current one. It should 've been around 135hp or so. The Japanese Domestic market (JDM) '01 EX has 130hp. They couldn't give the USDM EX the misely 3 more hp that the EX has elsewhere?

bimmerboy1 · September 2000

Enthusiasts represent a tiny minority of U.S. car buyers now. People either want SUV's (Honda has spent a lot of R & D dollars on the new Acura SUV, and the CERV-EX), or practical, no-frills transportation.

It's sad but live with it. You can't expect a car company to spend a great deal of $$$ developing or certifying a car for a market where it won't sell (did anyone even buy the Civic Si?).

only1harry · September 2000

My neighborhood is full of Civic SI's! And in New Jersey where I work I see even more of them.
Believe me, dealers had no trouble selling the SIs on their lot. My brother in law is a Honda salesman in PA and says the Si's never stay on the lot for more than 2 weeks. Besides there is a predetermined number of DX, LX, EX and SIs that are been built every year and all the SIs have been sold. What did you think? that there are thousands of '00 SIs sitting in dealers' lots?
Many people used to buy Civic DX or EXs and mod them to get more power and better handling. These kind of people now bought the Si. You can't beat the price for what you get. It's an affordable pocket rocket that is reliable and has high resale value.

bigfurr · October 2000

You should probably be checking out www.vtec.net for some interesting news and rumors. *grin*

Roomer Hazzit that even before the '01 Civic premiered here, Honda was hinting they might bring the Hatch Back for '02! (Sorry, couldn't resist...)

I'd love a 3-door Civic HB with the 160-hp engine from the Si Coupe, a sport-tuned suspension, a manual 5 or 6 speed transmission and cruise control... and NO DAMN SUNROOF! I'd rather have the headroom....

only1harry · November 2000

I hate sunroofs too. All they do is add extra unwanted weight to the car (usually 30lbs or more) and weaken the chassis that can lead to rattles and reduced overall rigidity. It also reduces headroom by as much as 2"! With my helmet on when I auto-x race (in my GSR) my head is crooked to accomodate the darn sunroof.. Car enthousiasts don't need sunroofs. The Type-R Civic & Integra have the all the right stuff. I hope the hatchback comes back for '02 and with a decent motor, not just the base 115hp one. If anything they should at least offer it with the 127hp EX motor. I just pray they don't make it heavy and keep it under 2400lbs. My '97 DX HB weighs 2258lbs and it's dead even with Civic EX coupes (have raced many at the light) that weigh 2500+lbs. And PLEASE put a tachometer on the dash!

Karen_S · March 2001

....but I'm here to announce the new Honda Civic Owners club now available on Edmunds.com Owner's Club board. Please stop by and introduce yourself in Meet the Members and let me know how I can help build your club.

I have linked this discussion into that folder, but it will always reside here in Hatchbacks.

Looking forward to meeting everyone!

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

hondas2k · March 2001

I hope we get one of these at least.

http://www.vtec.net/news/items/628.html

only1harry · March 2001

looking. I 'd buy another one. I doubt the CTR will make it here but I 'm hoping a base HB or even an Si is here in the fall or winter in time for me to trade in my '97 HB. I 'm up to 125k mi. already so by the end of the year I should be up to around 150k mi. and I think I 'll treat my self to a new one, mmm yummy, CTR! If the CTR comes here I might trade my GSR for it..

abba · April 2001

I couldn't agree more with the previous posts regarding alder civics. My 1990 DX BB was a BLAST in the corners. Lithe body roll, excellent feedback and a light agile feel! I could easily pass "sports" cars costing three times as much! Not so with the new civics. Bigger, heavier, slower and less nimble is the rule with civics today. Thanks to "super-sized" people (height and width) wanting more room, more standard features and more safety, the days of the little, lithe, cheap coupe are over. Even a new miata comes standard with power everything and weighs over 2400 pounds and costs $21K.

-Abb
Old school Honda fan

rsparrow · April 2001

Now that it's official...

http://www.honda2001.com/civicsi/index.html

igloomaster · May 2001

Here's something different:

Can Cruise Control be installed at the dealer on my 99 CX hatch?

I'd do it if the price was OK

dudka · May 2001

check out jc whitney, they have cruise control units, but you have to install them yourself

liljoey16pa · June 2001

I was wondering what would be the most fuel efficient Honda made car. From a ton of research I found the 92' Honda Hatchback vx was a good choice. I'm 15 going on 16 soon and was looking for a good starter car that got good gas mileage.

revka · December 2001

Since this discussion has been inactive for quite some time, it had been closed. Please continue this subject in our ongoing Honda Civic Hatchbacks discusson.

Also, check out our Honda Civic Si discussion. Happy Motoring!

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards

Honda Civic Hatchbacks (1990-2000)

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